Assam CM Himanta asks DGP to register case against Rahul Gandhi for 'provoking' crowd
GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asked the state’s Director General of Police GP Singh to register a case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “provoking” a crowd that broke a police barricade erected to prevent the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from entering Guwahati.
Sarma equated the crowd behaviour with Naxalite tactics. He said it was not part of Assamese culture.
“Such naxalite tactics are completely alien to our culture. I have instructed @DGPAssamPolice to register a case against your leader @RahulGandhi for provoking the crowd & use the footage you have posted on your handles as the evidence,” Sarma wrote on X reacting to a video posted by Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV.
Later, he shared a video on X to claim how Gandhi and Congress’ Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh allegedly provoked the people to attack the police personnel on duty.
In the video, Gandhi can be heard saying, “There was a barricade here. We have removed it.” Singh said, “You all have removed the barricade. It’s our victory.”
Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah and party MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar sustained minor injuries during a scuffle between police personnel and Congress workers. Some police personnel were also injured. The incident took place near a ring road – the designated route – on the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Later, addressing a press conference, Gandhi said, “Gaali do, disturb koro, maro, pito, I don’t get intimidated. I fight for truth. I don’t get intimidated once I have made up my mind to fight for an ideology.”
He said the “disruptions” allegedly created by the Assam CM was helping the yatra.
“Whatever the Assam CM is doing is helping the yatra. The yatra has become Assam’s main issue. Thwarting a visit to a temple and a college and not allowing padayatra are their intimidation tactics but we are not afraid of them. Our message on nyay (justice) is reaching villages,” Gandhi said.
“I am blowing kisses at protesting BJP fellows and they are waving at me and smiling. Mr Himanta seems to think it’s a protest. There is no protest taking place there. The BJP workers are lining up to shout ‘naras’ (slogans). We are perfectly happy,” he further said.
Last year, Gandhi said the BJP thought the Bharat Jodo Yatra would not have any impact and now, it thinks the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra should be disrupted at the initial stage.
“But the thing is that when they disrupt the yatra, they help it. I want the yatra to be disrupted. I was prevented from going to a college (University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya on Guwahati outskirts). The entire college came out. Each student listened to me,” the Congress leader said.
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